U.S. Men's Update: Lee to Play in Russia

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 20, 2012) – All the news about U.S. men’s volleyball players in the U.S. and around the world.

RUSSIA

U.S. middle blocker David Lee (Alpine, Calif.), a 2008 and 2012 Olympian, is headed to Russia to play for Zenit Kazan. Yes, it is the same team that U.S. outside hitter Matt Anderson (West Seneca, N.Y.), a 2012 Olympian, plays for in the Russian Super League. However, Lee will only be used in Kazan’s CEV Champions League matches. He could make his debut with the team on Nov. 21 when Kazan will travel to Austria to play Hypo Tirol Innsbruck in its next Champions League match. On Nov. 17, Anderson scored 15 points on 13 kills (65.0 kill percent, .600 hitting efficiency), one block and one ace as Kazan defeated Yaroslav Yaroslavich. Anderson was also credited with 22 receptions, 41 percent positive. Kazan is undefeated at 7-0 in the league. To view photos from the match, click here.

PUERTO RICO

U.S. opposite David McKienzie (Littleton, Colo.), a 2008 Olympian, led his Puerto Rican team Patriotas de Lares to two victories over the past week. On Nov. 15, McKienzie led all scorers with 19 points on 17 kills and two aces as Lares defeated Changos de Narajito, 25-15, 25-22, 25-23. On Nov. 18, McKienzie scored 27 points on 22 attacks, two blocks and three aces as Lares defeated Mets de Guaynabo, 23-25, 26-28, 25-14, 25-12, 15-8.

U.S. opposite Evan Patak (Pleasanton, Calif.) and his team Plataneros de Corozal defeated Indios de Mayaguez, 25-19, 25-22, 26-24. Patak led all scorers with 21 points on 17 attacks, three blocks and one ace. U.S. player Jeff Ptak (Buffalo, N.Y.) scored 11 points on eight attacks, one block and two aces for Mayaguez. On Nov. 16, Patak led all scorers with 19 points on 16 attacks, one block and two aces as Corozal defeated Leones de Ponce, 25-19, 25-21, 25-21. Tri Bourne (Honolulu, Hawaii), who plays for Ponce, scored nine points on nine attacks.

U.S. middle blocker David Smith (Saugus, Calif.), a 2012 Olympian, and his French league team Tours, are now 7-0 after defeating Rennes Volley 35, 23-25, 25-17, 25-20, 30-28 on Nov. 18. Smith started all four sets and scored nine points on seven attacks (58.3 kill percent, .500 hitting efficiency) and two blocks.

U.S. outside hitter Robert Tarr (Cape Canaveral, Fla.) scored 16 points and middle blocker Matt Rawson (Los Angeles) added three as AS Cannes defeated Narbonne, 20-25, 25-21, 25-27, 25-16, 15-13 on Nov. 17. Tarr started all five sets and scored 15 points on 13 kills and two blocks. He was also credited with 23 receptions, 61 percent positive. Rawson started all five sets and scored seven points on five kills (55.5 kill percent, .555 hitting efficiency) and two blocks.

U.S. opposite Carson Clark (Santa Barbara, Calif.) led his French league team Montpellier with 28 points on 25 attacks (52.1 kill percent, .458 hitting efficiency), two blocks and one ace as it defeated Avignon, 20-25, 23-25, 25-17, 28-26, 15-12 on Nov. 17.

Middle blocker Andy Hein (Carol Stream, Ill.) is playing for Toulouse, which fell to Nantes Reze Metropole, 25-19, 25-22, 25-22 on Nov. 17. Hein scored seven points on three kills, three blocks and one ace.

In Italy’s Serie A league, U.S. middle blocker Max Holt (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Copra Elior Piacenza defeated BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte, 25-21, 25-22, 25-20 on Nov. 18. Holt played as a substitute but did not score. Grotte is the team of U.S. outside hitter Jeff Menzel (Santa Barbara, Calif.), but he did not play in the match.

In Italy’s Serie B league, U.S. outside hitter Garrett Muagututia (Oceanside, Calif.) and Sieco Service Ortona improved to 7-1 as they defeated Pallavolo Loreto, 21-25, 25-20, 29-27, 25-19. Muagututia started all four sets and scored 16 points on 14 attacks and two blocks. He was also credited with 23 receptions, 61 percent positive.

POLAND

U.S. outside hitter Paul Lotman (Lakewood, Calif.), a 2012 Olympian, and Asseco Resovia Rzeszów defeated Effector Kielce, 25-17, 28-26, 25-16 on Nov. 17. Lotman started the third set and scored two points on two attacks.

In the Turkish league, U.S. setter Kevin Hansen (Newport Beach, Calif.), a 2008 Olympian, and Arkas Spor defeated U.S. opposite Brook Billings (Santa Barbara, Calif.), a 2004 Olympian, and Istanbul BBSK, 25-20, 16-25, 25-27, 25-22, 19-17 on Nov. 18. Billings started all five sets and led all scorers with 33 points on 32 attacks (54.2 kill percent, .390 hitting efficiency) and one block. Hansen started the first three sets and played as a substitute after that. He helped set the team to a 44.2 kill percent and a .302 hitting efficiency.

U.S. outside hitter Reid Priddy (Richmond, Va.), a 2004, ’08 and ’12 Olympian, and Halkbank Ankara fell to Greenwich Saat Ted Kolejjliler, 25-23, 27-25, 23-25, 21-25, 17-15 on Nov. 17. Priddy started four sets and substituted in the other, scoring 11 points on eight kills, two blocks and one ace.

CEV CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

In Pool F, visiting Kevin Hansen and Arkas Izmir Spor fell to Belgium’s Noliko Maaseik, 21-25, 25-23, 25-18, 26-28, 15-13 on Nov. 20. Hansen started all five sets and set the team to a 35.1 kill percent and a .269 hitting efficiency. Izmir will not advance in the competition.

In Pool G, Paul Lotman and Asseco Resovia Rzeszow have also fallen out of the Champions League after losing to Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo, 25-19, 14-25, 25-16, 29-27 on Nov. 20. Lotman started all four sets and scored 15 points on 10 kills (62.5 kill percent, .625 hitting efficiency), three blocks and two aces. He was also credited with 21 receptions, 57 percent positive.

In Pool A, Matt Anderson and Zenit Kazan will travel to Austria to play Hypo Tirol Innsbruck on Nov. 21.

In the round of 16, Reid Priddy and Halkbank Ankara defeated host Landstede Zwolle of Netherlands, 25-17, 25-14, 25-18 on Nov. 20. With two victories over Zwolle, Ankara will advance to the quarterfinals, to be played in December.

Robert Tarr, Matt Rawson and AS Cannes will travel to Russia’s Lokomotiv Kharkiv on Nov. 21.

CEV CHALLENGE CUP

Max Holt and Italy’s Copra Elior Piacenza defeated Brook Billings and visiting Istanbul BBSK of Turkey, 25-19, 25-16, 25-22 on Nov. 15. Billings scored 14 points for his team and Holt had one for Piacenza. The teams will play again Nov. 22.